What Executive Search does

Executive Search is a premium retained executive search and leadership advisory firm founded in 1995 by Mr Subhash Arora and Mrs Ashwan Arora and headquartered in New Delhi, India. The firm specializes in middle and senior management placements across ten industry verticals, with a track record anchored in Life Sciences and Healthcare and extended into Financial Services, Technology, eCommerce, Startups, Consumer Products, Engineering and Industrial, Private Equity, Management Consulting, Oil and Gas, and Executive Assistant & Support practices. Its client base is enterprise-grade, serving Fortune 500 companies in India and internationally, with a disclosed 70% returning-customer rate and decade-long engagements with global consulting and energy majors.

The firm operates a boutique consultant model with 11-50 employees and a core team of researchers and consultants carrying 4-12 years of industry experience drawn from India's premier management institutes. Service offerings span Manpower Planning, Permanent Staffing, Leadership Hiring, Turnkey Projects (full office build-outs), Competency Mapping, Compensation Benchmarking, and Retained Search — the latter carrying a position-closure guarantee. The firm has no proprietary technology platform; its competitive basis is the consultant network, three-decade talent database, and domain specialization. A wholly-owned sister concern, Talent Resource Consulting Pvt Ltd (founded 2002), extends the service surface into volume hiring, payroll processing, manpower outsourcing, and compliance for junior-to-middle management roles.

The business model is fee-for-placement professional services revenue, with retained search engagements for senior roles and contingency support for mid-management. Distribution is direct via consultant-led enterprise sales across five physical offices (New Delhi HQ, Mumbai, Hyderabad, Bangalore, and a Chicago US office). Geographic expansion signals include the Chicago office and a 2025 Dubai real estate salary guide, suggesting tentative international advisory buildout. The firm is founder-owned and bootstrapped, with no external institutional capital disclosed.

Name

Executive Search

Legal name

Executive Search

Website

https://exsearch.in

Company type

Private

Founded year

1995

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Executive Search and Recruitment Services

NAICS

Executive Search Services (561312), Employment Placement Agencies and Executive Search Services (56131)

SIC

Services-Employment Agencies (7361)

akta.pro primary industry

C-Suite & Board Search (BPACAAAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Technology & Product Leadership Search (CIO/CTO/CDO/CPO) (BPACAAAC), Healthcare & Life Sciences Leadership Search (BPACAAAE), Financial Services Leadership Search (Banking/Insurance/PE/Asset Mgmt) (BPACAAAF), Industrial & Engineering Leadership Search (BPACAAAD)

Keywords

• Executive search services
• Leadership hiring
• Permanent staffing
• Manpower planning
• Talent acquisition

Headquarters

HQ city

New Delhi

HQ country

India

HQ region

Asia

Offices5 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Executive/Retained Search: Retained search assignments for senior-level positions where search is tough and right fits are less. Clients typically retain the firm with guarantee of position closure. Premium service for identifying and recruiting top-level executives including CFOs, CEOs, and other key leadership roles.
2. Permanent Staffing: Large area of service connecting clients with exceptional personnel. Helps find personnel to build successful teams and spawn worthy partners with excellence. Core recurring revenue stream from placement fees.
3. Leadership Hiring: Specialized hiring service for leadership roles. Deep knowledge of various industries coupled with two decades of experience helps assess and hire top executives at critical leadership positions.
4. Turnkey Projects: Setup complete offices at new locations including Support, HR, Finance, Technical, General Management to Leadership positions. One-stop shop for complete staffing solutions.
5. Volume Hiring: Handled by sister concern Talent Resource Consulting for large number of hires without compromising quality. Also includes third-party payroll and manpower outsourcing.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Executive Search is a premium retained executive search and leadership advisory firm that helps organizations identify and recruit top-tier leadership, middle, and senior management talent across multiple industry verticals. Its core services span manpower planning, permanent staffing, leadership hiring, retained executive search, competency mapping, compensation benchmarking, and turnkey staffing projects for new office setups, with volume hiring delivered through its sister concern Talent Resource Consulting.

Product overview

Executive Search operates as a premium retained executive search and leadership advisory firm offering a comprehensive suite of recruitment services. The core offerings include Manpower Planning, Permanent Staffing, Leadership Hiring, Turnkey Projects, Competency Mapping, Retained Search, and Compensation Benchmarking. The company also leverages its sister concern Talent Resource Consulting for Volume Hiring and payroll/compliance management services. The firm specializes across ten industry verticals: Life Sciences and Healthcare, Financial Services, eCommerce Solutions, Startups, Consumer Products, Engineering and Industrial, Private Equity, Management Consulting & Professional Services, Technology, EA & Support, and Oil and Gas Industry. Founded in 1995 and established by Mr Subhash Arora & Mrs Ashwan Arora, the company serves Fortune 500 companies with a focus on middle and senior-level management placements.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Manpower Planning Strategic workforce planning service that helps organizations determine their staffing needs at different management levels as they grow over the years. Targeted at enterprises and growth-stage companies.
• Permanent Staffing Executive search service that connects organizations with exceptional personnel to build successful teams and spawn worthy partners with excellence. Targeted at enterprises hiring for permanent mid to senior level roles.
• Leadership Hiring Specialized recruitment service for hiring executives at critical leadership roles, focusing on matching technical skillsets and identifying leaders who empower organizations. Targeted at enterprises seeking C-suite, VP, and senior management hires.
• Retained Search Senior assignment search service for tough searches where right fits are limited, with a guarantee of position closure. Targeted at enterprises and large organizations hiring for CFOs, CEOs, and other key leadership roles.
• Turnkey Projects Complete office setup service at new locations, covering Support, HR, Finance, Technical, General Management, and Leadership positions. Targeted at enterprises opening new offices and needing end-to-end staffing.
• Volume Hiring Large-scale recruitment service for companies requiring multiple hires without compromising quality and skills, delivered through the sister concern Talent Resource Consulting. Targeted at mid-market and enterprise organizations needing bulk junior to middle management hiring, plus third-party payroll and manpower outsourcing.
• Competency Mapping Recruitment strategy design service that helps organizations achieve their goals by placing the right people in the right positions. Targeted at enterprises seeking structured assessment and competency frameworks for hires.
• Compensation Benchmarking

Quantifiable outcome

• 70% of clientele are returning customers indicating high satisfaction and retention rate
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments11 records

Ideal customer profiles6 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Talent Resource Consulting Pvt LtdcoreOthers · 1 January 2002Group company/sister concern specializing in volume hiring and manpower outsourcing. Founded in 2002, Talent Resource handles junior to middle level management hiring while Executive Search focuses on mid and senior level. Also processes payroll, provides manpower management services, and handles compliance requirements for client organizations.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Egon Zehnder: Global executive search and leadership advisory firm. Directly comparable in retained search for senior leadership across multiple verticals including financial services, healthcare, and technology.
• Korn Ferry: Global organizational consulting firm with a large executive search practice. Comparable across executive search, leadership hiring, and compensation benchmarking offerings, particularly in financial services and life sciences.
• Heidrick & Struggles: Global executive search and leadership advisory firm with a significant India presence. Overlaps in C-suite and functional leadership search across Financial Services, Life Sciences, Technology, and Industrial verticals.
• Spencer Stuart: Global executive search firm with strong presence across consumer, financial services, life sciences, and technology verticals. Competes for similar C-suite and board mandates at Fortune 500 clients.
• Russell Reynolds Associates: Global executive search firm with established India operations. Comparable in C-suite and senior leadership placements across financial services, healthcare, technology, and PE verticals.

Emerging players

• Catenon: Tech-enabled executive search firm with India presence, positioning as a digital alternative to traditional retained search. Adjacent competitor with overlap in mid-to-senior management placements.

Direct peers

• Stanton Chase: Global executive search firm with strong mid-market and emerging-markets focus, including a substantial India practice. Closely matches the boutique multi-vertical retained search positioning.
• Michael Page India: Global recruitment firm with strong India operations covering mid-to-senior level permanent placements across Financial Services, Technology, Life Sciences, and Industrial verticals.
• ABC Consultants: One of India's largest and oldest executive search and recruitment firms, headquartered in New Delhi. Directly comparable as a multi-vertical retained search firm serving enterprise clients across India.
• Transearch International: Global executive search firm with India operations across multiple industry verticals. Comparable in retained executive search, leadership hiring, and cross-border mandates.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/ExsearchIndia
• Facebookfacebook.com/exsearch

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Subsidiaries1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Executive Search